No Difference
by Moonpumpkin
Summary: Ted explains to Sirius why the Pureblood Supremacist views he's grown up with are so mistaken. Written for Round 2 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition


Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to JK Rowling

_From the day we arrive on the planet_

_And blinking, step into the sun_

_There's more to be seen than can ever be seen_

_More to do than can ever be done_

_-_Circle of Life, Carmen Twille and Lebo M.

The date could have gone better. It had started off well—Andromeda was wearing a pretty, blush colored dress, and her dark wavy hair was out and flowing, a nice change from the loose bun she normally wore at school. They had gone to the park in Muggle London and sat on the swings. Ted had pushed her lightly, reveling in the way she laughed and kicked off her shoes. It was a relief to finally be with her, free from prying eyes, not having to glance over their shoulders at every turn.

But of course it couldn't last. Two women had walked past, excitedly yammering about their mutual friend's engagement, and Andy stopped cold. "What day is it?" she demanded, face white.

"Uh, the sixteenth, I think," Ted stammered warily.

Andromeda shook her head. "No, you think or you know?"

"It is, it is," Ted confirmed quickly. Andromeda gulped. Apparently that was the wrong aswer.

"Shit."

That was how Ted found himself in an ice cream shop. Andromeda apparently had to babysit her cousins while her aunt and uncle went to an engagement party for some wealthy pureblood family or another. Ted offered to reschedule the date, but Andy had begged him to stay. They didn't get to see each other much outside of school, and she was convinced that her cousins could keep their secret.

The bell on the door jingled, and looking over Ted saw Andy towing two boys behind her. The one was taking in the shop with wide-eyed wonder while the other stuck close to Andy, half hiding himself behind her back. She found them a table and sat her cousins down at it as she went to the register to order. Ted quickly got up from his table and met her there. She was paying for the ice cream when he rested a hand on hers, startling her. When she saw who it was, however, she relaxed, smiling. "Oh, hey. Sorry we took so long. I almost couldn't convince Reg to come because his mother said that we should go straight home. A goody-two-shoes, that one is."

Ted laughed lightly. "How'd you get him to agree?"

Andromeda held up the cone in her hand. "Strawberry."

The two made their way back to the table where the boys sat. It seemed that the younger brother—Regulus, Ted believed—was trying to bargain for one of the cherries on Sirius' banana split. "Absolutely not," the older boy said snootily, "I will accept nothing less than your entire chocolate frog collection, even if I have their duplicates."

Andromeda placed the banana split in front of him and flicked him in the ear. "Sirius, stop being a brat. You don't even like cherries," she pointed out as she handed Regulus the cone. Sirius sighed and threw the fruit at his brother, successfully hitting him in the nose. "Boys, this is Ted, a…friend from school."

"Hogwarts?" Sirius asked excitedly, brightening up. Ted laughed quietly.

"Yes, of course. Ted, these two miscreants are my cousins, Sirius and Regulus," Andromeda introduced, gesturing to each of them. She cleared her throat and continued, visibly uncomfortable. "Erm, boys, I was wondering if you would mind Ted coming along and helping babysit?" Regulus started to protest, but she cut him off. "Only we haven't seen each other in a long time and we'd like to catch up. You understand, don't you?"

"Mother won't know if we don't tell her," Sirius said in anticipation of his brother's argument.

Regulus closed his mouth with an audible snap and eyed Ted warily. "Does he like Gobstones?"

Ted glanced over at Andromeda for confirmation. She nodded subtly. "Of course I do!" he said, beaming at Regulus. "Who doesn't like a few rounds of Gobstones?"

"You'll have to be careful," Andromeda teased, playing along. "Reggie here is a whiz at that game."

"Really?" Ted asked in mock disbelief. Regulus glowed with pride.

"I bet you like wizard's chess and Quidditch and monsters and chocolate frogs, too, don't you, Ted?" Sirius asked enthusiastically.

Ted pondered this for a moment. "Well, I'm not particularly fond of monsters, but the rest are brilliant."

Sirius grinned and hopped down from his seat. Grabbing Ted's hand with sticky fingers, he began leading the teenager out of the shop, babbling about all sorts of nonsense.

Babysitting had been more fun than Ted had expected. Regulus was indeed quite good at Gobstones, and Sirius liked to make up games of his own to play. He frequently changed to rules to favor himself, but Ted didn't mind. For dinner, Andromeda made a simple stew; the boys complained about the vegetables, but each time Andy would raise her eyebrow at them sternly, and they would quiet quickly. While she took Regulus for a bath upstairs, Ted continued to play with Sirius and his toy dragons. After a half hour, Andromeda called down the stairs, "Sirius, fifteen more minutes before bedtime!"

Sirius squealed and bolted immediately. Ted put his long legs to good use, eventually catching up to him and throwing the boy over his shoulder. Ted was fairly sure his eardrum had popped. "Sirius, really," Andy scolded from the top of the stairs, nudging a soaked, towel-swaddled Regulus down the hall. Sirius stopped and simply pouted. Andromeda turned her attention to Ted. "Thank you so much. You're a life saver." She pecked him on the cheek and continued walking Regulus down the hall.

Ted smiled at her and placed Sirius down. It was alright that they couldn't always spend time together. It made the time that they did so much sweeter. Even when it involved babysitting her cousins. It was unexpected, but it hadn't been altogether unpleasant.

"How did you like your ice cream today, Sirius?" Ted asked, sitting across from Sirius on the expensive rug in the parlor.

"It was delicious, especially considering that it was made by Muggles," Sirius chattered, idly playing with his toy dragons.

Ted blinked. "Why should that make a difference?"

Sirius shrugged. "Mother and Father always say that Muggles can't do anything right, that they're inferior. Poor blokes," he added as an afterthought. "It must be horrible knowing you can't do anything great."

Ted frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. It was strange, hearing the same thing he'd heard from arrogant Purebloods at school from a boy. He cleared his throat, trying to remain nonchalant. "Why exactly are they inferior?"

"Mother and Father say it has something to do with their blood. It's not pure like mine. It's dirty. That's why they're called Mudbloods."

Ted drew in a shaky breath. "You shouldn't say that word, you know."

Sirius looked at him curiously. "Why? My parents say it."

"That's a very, very mean word. It can hurt people's feelings. It can make people really mad at you. It could even start a fight."

"Start a fight?" Sirius echoed. "Why would anyone get in a fight over a word?"

Ted willed himself to calm down. He shouldn't yell at Sirius. Firstly, it wasn't his place. Secondly, Sirius couldn't understand just how wrong and hurtful his words were. Really, how do you explain to a child how mistaken his views, the views his parents have raised him on, are? "Muggles, Muggle-borns, Halfbloods, Purebloods… they aren't all that different, you know."

"What do you mean? Of course they are."

Ted shook his head, picking up one of Sirius' toys. "It's like your dragons, Sirius. There are all kinds, you know—the Hungarian Horntail, the Norwegian Ridgeback, the Romanian Longhorn—but they're all still dragons, right? Some are bigger, some are stronger, some are smarter, but they're all dragons. Do you understand?"

Sirius glanced down at his toys and then back to Ted. "I get what you mean about dragons, but…I don't understand how it's the same as Mud—Muggleborns and Purebloods."

Ted bit at a hangnail on his thumb. It stung, and Ted had an idea. He continued picking at it until it began to bleed. "See that?" he asked, holding out his thumb. Sirius nodded. "Look closely. Is there anything strange to you? Does anything look abnormal?" Sirius shook his head. "Is there dirt in it? Does it look unclean?"

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "It looks like mine. Red and clear."

Ted smiled weakly. "I have to tell you a secret, Sirius." The boy leaned closer. In a low, conspiring voice, Ted whispered, "My parents are Muggles."

Sirius sat back in alarm, plopping roughly on his bottom. Ted simply looked at him levelly. "No. No, you…you can't be," Sirius stuttered.

"Why not?"

"Well, be-because…" Sirius swallowed, his breathing heavy. "You…well, you're normal. And nice. And Andromeda is your friend, and she can't be if you're a Muggleborn. And…" Sirius looked as though he were about to cry. "And I really liked you. A lot. And I can't like you, not if you're Muggleborn!"

"Why not?" Ted challenged again.

Sirius looked down at his hands in his lap. "Mother and Father would be furious," he whispered to himself.

Ted sighed and laid a hand on Sirius' head. "Sirius, I don't ever want to get you in trouble with your parents, but…" He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "You're growing up. And you're going to have to start looking around you and making up your own mind about things. You can't always be told how to act or think or feel. And that's not what I'm trying to do now," Ted reassured him, running a hand through Sirius' hair. "What I'm trying to do is offer you a new perspective. You understand 'perspective?'" Sirius nodded, biting his lip. "Because that way you can make your own decisions about…well, about everything. Understand?" Sirius nodded again, and then shook it.

"I understand what you mean about perspective, but…I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say. I was always told that Purebloods are better than Muggles. But if our blood is the same…" Sirius trailed off, eyes wide and desperate. Ted's heart ached. He hated that he was causing Sirius to question everything he knew, but in the long run, it was for the best.

Ted rubbed at the back of his neck. He had to get this right. "We're all the same, Sirius. We are all made of flesh and blood. The same blood. We were all babies once, and we will all die someday. It doesn't matter who our parents are—what makes a person good or bad is what's in their heart. By only talking to other purebloods, and thinking that only they matter, you're setting limits on your life. There are so many things out there for you to do and see. There are so many people for you to meet, whether they are Purebloods, Muggles, Muggleborns, Halfbloods, Halfbreeds, whatever—you'll miss all of that."

Sirius was quiet for a long time. He sat very still, quite the contrast to what Ted was used to. Suddenly Andromeda poked her head in the parlor. "Hey," she started gently, "Ready for bed?"

Sirius nodded and stood up. Ted got up too, suddenly feeling very out of place in the large, lavish home. He jumped slightly when Sirius grabbed his hand and asked softly, "Ted?" Would you… would you tell me a story tonight? A…Muggle one?" The last part was whispered, as if the walls would hear him and report to his parents.

Ted smiled, wrapping an arm around Sirius' shoulders and giving them a tight squeeze. "Of course, little man. Of course."


End file.
